Shade Umbrellas

[sleater]

after our 4 month old baby daughters grandmother took her for an unprotected stroll in the sun thursday resulting a blistered left cheek we decided that we're going to get a "big" shade umbrella for the pool.

at this point we really like the looks and functionality of cantilever designs. the umbrella we are close to purchasing is pictured on this link:

http://www.treasuregarden.com/umbrellas/detail_akz-11.html

the one we liked most but decided was price prohibative is illustrated at this link:
http://www.shademakers.com/product-detail.php?Id=24

questions:
have any members purchased cantilever shade umbrellas?

are these umbrellas practical or overly sensitive to moderate wind conditions?

anyone have experience with treasure garden umbrellas? (good / bad)

a sand-filled 250lb base under a 300lb umbrella sounds like it might be an issue even in moderate winds ... they told us that in any wind > 10mph the umbrella should be down ... but if you want something more substantial it gets too pricey ... sheesh!!

any alternative shade ideas?

thanks in advance!!

[waterbear]

When I had my portable hot tub I used a cantalievered square umbrella over it. I used a water filled base and it was pretty stable. The base was designed for either sand or water fill and was the same brand as the umbrella. This was a while back I cannot remember the brand. It was sensitive to winds and if it got windy enough to sway the branches in the trees I needed to close the umbrella or it would start to sway quite a bit. The base never moved but the umbrella itself seemed like it would buckle and break with the wind. It reminded me of a kite. I usually kept it closed unless I was actually in the hot tub because of this. The umbrella only lasted about 2 seasons over the hot tub before it started to fall apart. I suspect it was due to the sanitizing chemicals in the water. It was a relatively inexpensive one (the umbrella itself was just over $200 and I got it on sale for $150 and the base was another $60. It was made of Sunbrella material. I don't know if a more expensive one would have lasted longer. Hope this helps.

[Davenj]

I have a 11ft cantalievered square umbrella. Nice size, but really scaring if theres any wind. A liitle breeze gets it moving pretty good. Definitley can't put it up and leave it for the day.

[CarlD]

Our deck is such that an awning does no good. In the late afternoon, the deck, which is faces northwest, gets the sun below any awning. So I put a cantilever 'brella there, in that corner that is about 10 or 11' across, and I hold the base down with 4 50# bags of filter sand. I should bolt it to the deck but I dont....It works PERFECTLY because you can angle the umbrella more and more as the sun goes down. It's a mesh umbrella so it doesn't trap hot stuffy air either. Problem solved!

[sleater]

thanks for the input
much as i suspected ...
we'll just have to close the umbrella everytime after we're done for the day and will have to remain aware of wind conditions when it is up ...
initially, we'll watch to get a feel for what it can handle
less concerned about the umbrella itself as we're buying (i think) decent quality
more concerned about it blowing down due to the base

again, if anyone has experience with the brand we're looking at i'd be very interested in hearing your view.

thanks again!